Mad rush for Aadhar cards in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Feb 5 (IANS) Thousands of people lined up at Aadhar centres here Tuesday after the government said that LPG cylinders would be linked to Aadhar cards from Feb 15.

Police used force to quell protests at some Aadhar centres in the city. People complained that the centres did not have application forms.

A similar situation prevailed in Ranga Reddy district, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and other towns across the state. Two women fell unconscious at a centre near Patancheru in Medak district.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is in New Delhi, requested the central government to extend the deadline by two months. "A favourable decision is expected from the petroleum ministry today (Tuesday) evening or tomorrow," said a statement from the chief minister's office here Tuesday.

Oil companies had fixed Feb 15 as the deadline for linking supply of LPG cylinders to Aadhar cards for existing consumers on a pilot basis in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district.

The oil companies had announced that LPG cylinders would be given at Rs.1,030 each from Feb 15. The subsidy due from the central government on each refill would be remitted directly into the bank accounts of the Aadhar cardholders concerned.

The chief minister directed officials to open 200 more Aadhar enrolling centres in addition to the existing 210 in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district.